ART 247- Blog #10

Article: https://www.creativelive.com/blog/low-light-photography-dslr-tips-for-making-the-most-of-dark-scenes

Since the days are shorter and the sun sets around 4 o'clock every day, I thought it would be most appropriate to find an article that discusses low-light photography techniques. The majority of the pictures I take are in the early morning hours before the sunrise and late afternoon before the sunset. When taking these photos I really have to worry about drastically changing my ISO values, and while editing my photos I have to worry about areas that are too under-exposed.

When taking pictures in lowlight the most important piece of equipment is a tripod because the shutter speed will be slower. Slow shutter speeds introduce camera shake and that in turn makes photos more blurry. I have found that a tripod helps in keeping my photos clear, stabilized, and  aligned within the rule of thirds. The other piece of equipment the article said is important is using a remote release. A remote release is an external switch that prevents motion blur because you don't have to touch the camera's shutter when taking the picture.

When shooting in low-light it is important to select shutter priority or manual mode because then you have the ability to manipulate the photo's settings easier. The most important setting in lowlight conditions would be the shutter speed. Through shutter priority you are able to select the shutter speed and all the other camera settings will auto adjust and compensate for that setting.

Another important function of lowlight shooting is the ISO values of your camera. Most entry level DSLR's don't produce a good clear image unless you lower the ISO values down to the lowest settings like 100-200. My camera produces the best quality images at 100 ISO, but for lowlight capability I can only go up to 400 ISO. When editing a RAW photo at 100 ISO I am able to recover a lot of light and details. When I edit a RAW photo at 400 ISO I am able to recover details but I notice that the quality of the image suffers.

The last way to improve your low-light photography is using the lowest aperture settings that your lens can go to. When you use the lowest aperture setting on your lens it allows more light to enter the camera sensor and will improve the light quality in the image so that you don't have to raise the ISO values and risk the quality of the image.